Apparatus for crimping textile fibers



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INVENTOR BERYL A.BOGGS ATTORNEY 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 8, I 1966 INVENTOR BE RYL A. BOGGS y.. ATTORNEY March 19, 1968 B. A. BOGGS APPARATUS FOR CRIMPING TEXTILE FIBERS 5 Sheets-Sheet Filed Aug. 8, 1966 FIG?.

INVENTOR Belgi. Aoscs ATTORNEY United States Patent tiice 3,373,469 APPARATUS FOR CRIMPIN G TEXTILE FIBERS Beryl Aaron Boggs, Chester, Va., assigner to Allied Chemical Corporation, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Aug. 8, 1966, Ser. No. 570,913 5 Claims. (Cl. 28-1) The present invention relates to improved apparatus for crimping textile fibers.

There are currently several methods or techniques employed for crimping synthetic textile fibers. In one technique, the yarn is deformed mechanically and then heatset either with or without an after-relaxation step. A representative process illustrating this technique involves the steps of twisting, heat-setting and then back twisting the yarn to a low iinal twist level. Crimped yarns have also been prepared by the well-known stuffer box technique wherein the yarn is steamed to heat setting temperature while it is in the compressed state in a stutter box.

The present invention provides apparatus suitable for carrying out the crimping of yarns by the stuifer box technique. Apparatus currently in use for imparting crimp to artificial fibers by the stutter box technique generally includes a complementary set of positively driven feed rolls between which the sliver or yarn is fed into a stuffing chamber having restricting means located at the discharge end thereof capable of resisting or retarding the flow of the sliver or yarns through the chamber causing a crimp to be imparted to the yarns prior to being discharged from the chamber. Unfortunately, with present crimping apparatus, there occurs filament entrapment in the crevices formed by the walls of the crimping chamber and the 'side of the feed rolls. Additionally, yarns which are unevenly fed or which have deformities such as slubs and the like cause the rolls to become momentarily misaligned and consequently, skewed with respect to each other so that after a period of time, the side plates of the stuffing chamber which contact the side faces of the rolls when the rolls are skewed become grooved and worn necessitating their periodic replacement.

Attempts to eliminate or to minimize these difficulties have not been entirely satisfactory. For example, in a recently proposed apparatus to eliminate this problem, the end faces of the rolls are grooved near their circumference to provide channels for a lubricant which is supplied to the grooves by Sponges. The lubricant is spread out to the edges of the rolls at the point or points of contact between the ends of the rolls and the walls of the chamber whereby to eliminate fiber entrapment and damage to the walls of the chamber. However, lubricating means are not entirely desirable in these types of operations since frequent scrutiny may be required in insuring that there is always a proper amount of lubricant present. In another apparatus designed to eliminate the above-mentioned disadvantages, the housing walls of the crimping chamber are provided with curved recesses which accommodate disc members which lie adjacent the flat surfaces of the feed rolls in the area of the nip. The yarn to be crimped passes between the discs thereby being prevented from sliding out sideways between the rolls. These discs are maintained in position against the rolls by a bolt member which passes through side wall brackets. However, in this type of apparatus the disc members are limited to horizontal movement and do not follow the action of the feed rolls.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a crimping apparatus which is eminently suitable for crimping synthetic yarn.

Another object is to provide an apparatus for crimp- 3,373,469 Patented Mar. 19, 1968 ing yarns whereby filament entrapment between the feed rolls and the walls of the stufiing chamber is eliminated.

A further object is to provide an apparatus for crimping yarns without damage to the side walls of the crimping chamber or to the feed rolls.

Another object is to provide an apparatus for crimping yarns whereby the :feed rolls are accommodated in multi-directional displacement without causing damage to the apparatus.

These and other objects will be apparent from the following detailed description.

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided apparatus for crimping textile fibers which comprises a crimping chamber including a base and a pair of side walls; a positively driven complementary pair of feed rolls having end faces, said feed rolls being disposed in subjacent relation transversely adjacent one end of said chamber intermediate said side walls, a pair of doctor blades each having a leading edge facing away from said crimping chamber one of each doctor blades forming the upper and lower portions of said crimping chamber at a site immediately forward from said feed rolls, a recess in each side wall defining a back edge in said side wall, each of the leading edges of said doctor blades and each of the back edges of said side walls forming the opening to said crimping chamber, a wear plate positioned in each of said recesses having a rearward edge disposed nearest said crimping chamber, and biasing means for pressure positioning said wear plates against said back edge of said side wall, toward said end faces of said rolls to accommodate said rolls in multi-directional displacement and toward the leading edges of said doctor blades.

The present invention advantageously permits operation of the apparatus without producing detrimental effects to the rolls and the walls of the crimping chamber and moreover eliminates the problem of fiber or filament entrapment in the crevices formed by the Walls of crimping chamber and the side .or end faces of the feed rolls. Broadly, the above advantages are achieved by providing wear plates disposed in recesses in the side walls which accommodate the feed rolls in multi-directional displacement i.e., vertically, horizontally and points therebetween. There are also provided biasing means for pressuring positioning the wear plates toward the end faces of the feed rolls in yielding relation and means for urging the wear plates against an edge of the recess in each of said side walls at the point where fiber entrapment normally occurs.

The invention is illustrated and the advantages are further apparent from the following drawings in which FIGURE 1 is a plan view of the apparatus with the top roll removed for clarity.

FIGURE 2 is an end view of the apparatus looking from the source of feed.

FIGURE 3 is a view lines 3,3 of FIGURE l.

FIGURE 4 is a view taken along the lines 4,4 of FIG- URE 2.

FIGURE 5 is a view taken along the lines 5, 5 of FIGURE 1 wtih th e feed rolls shown in phantom.

FIGURE 6 is a view of the wear plate and the wear plate bracket of the invention looking at the face side of the wear plate.

FIGURE 7 is a view of the wear plate and the wear plate bracket of the invention looking at the back side of the wear plate.

Referring particularly to FIGURES 4 and 5, it will be seen that the apparatus comprises a crimping chamber 1 which is partially bound by base 2, a pair of side walls 3 disposed one on each side of the crimping chamber, :and

partly in section taken along the a hinged member 4 which is pivotably connected at one end to pivot rod 5, the hinge member forming the rear wall of the crimping chamber 1. Yarn 6 is contained in the crimping chamber in compressed state as shown in FIGURE 5, until pressure from the compressed yarn is :sufficient to pivot hinged member 4 clockwise against the weights 7 disposed on the opposite end of the hinged member, thereby releasing yarn in crimped condition from the crimping chamber.

Disposed adjacent one end of the chamber 1 are a pair of feed rolls 8 and 9 which are positioned and mounted ton two parallel disposed -shafts (not shown) and which :are in subjacent relation, transversely of the apparatus :and intermediate the side walls 3. The top feed roll 8 is flexibly mounted on a frame (not shown) and is rotated clockwise while the bottom feed roll 9 is rotated counterclockwise both rolls being rotated from a power source, not shown, and the yarn to be crimped is delivered between the rolls to the crimping chamber in substantially horizontal parallel relation.

The rolls are preferably fabricated from hardened and ground metal and are preferably although not necessarily provided on their outer periphery with indentations or grooves.

Situated at one end of the crimping chamber 1 are a pair of doctor blades 10, one of which is disposed above the chamber and one below the chamber, each of which has a leading edge 10a positioned immediately adjacent but in an out-of-contact relation with the outer periphery of the feed rolls 8 and 9 and are positioned in a manner such as to provide a minimum clearance between the leading edge of the blades and the outer periphery of the rolls while permitting free rotation of the rolls 8 and 9. As will be seen from FIGURE 5, the doctor blades 10 form the upper and lower portions of the crimping chamber 1 at the site immediately forward from the feed rolls.

As best seen in FIGURE l, 3 and 4, the side walls 3 extend from crimping chamber 1 toward the direction of yarn source and are provided with a cut-out portion or recess 13 defining a back edge 12 of the side wall.

The leading edges 10a of the doctor blade and the back edges 12 of the side wall form the opening to the chamber 1. Positioned in each of the recesses is a wear plate bracket 14. (See FIGURES 3 and 4.) Referring to FIGURES 6 and 7, it will be seen that the wear plate bracket 14 has projections 1S extending one from each corner and these projections register with corresponding cutout portions 16 of the wear plate 11 so that when the rear end 17 of the wear plate 11 i.e., the end facing away from the rolls 8 and 9) is urged towards the inside surface 18 of the wear plate bracket 14, the wear plate registers with the wear plate bracket and is maintained in sliding engagement therewith. Referring specifically to FIGURE 7, the outer side 19 of the wear plate bracket has upper and lower extending leaves 2t) and 21 respectively which terminate a short distance from a side of the wear plate bracket 14.

For the purpose of pressure positioning, the wear plate 11 against the back edge 12 of the side wall, towards the end face of the feed roll l(the face closest to the wear plate 11) and toward the leading edge 10a of each doctor blade, the invention provides biasing means which includes a fluid chamber 22, a fiuid conduit 23 leading into the fluid chamber and means for urging the wear plates against each back edge of the side wall and toward each leading edge of the doctor blade.

Referring specifically to FIGURES 3 and 4, it will be seen that a fluid chamber is disposed one on each side of the apparatus and is enclosed on three sides by the side wall 3 and by arms 24 projecting from each side wall. Each of the arms has a cut-out portion 25 at the end furthest from the side wall and this cutout portion aecommodates in sliding relation the leaves 20 and 21 of the wear plate brackets so that the wear plate bracket and the wear plate is permitted to travel toward and away from the end faces of the feed rolls 8 and 9. Fluid inlet port Z6 is positioned in the fiuid chamber at a point situated behind piston 27, the latter bearing against the back of the wear plate as shown in FIGURE 3. Thus, it will be obvious that the pressure developed in fluid chamber 22 causes the wear plate bracket and associated wear plate to move toward or away from each of the end faces of the feed rolls depending upon the pressure maintained in the fluid chamber and the force exerted on the wear plate and wear plate bracket from the action of the rolls. Normally, there is a clearance between the end face of the feed roll and the wear plate of about 0.002.

Referring to FIGURE 4, it will be seen that the conduits 23 which deliver the fluid under pressure to each of the tiuid chambers extends toward the discharge end of the apparatus that is, toward the end which discharges the yarn in crimped condition. Coupling means are provided at one end of each of the conduits so that each of the conduits may be connected to a fluid power source, not shown. Located on the forward edge of each wear plate bracket, that is, the edge closest to the yarn entry source, and disposed one on each side of the apparatus are means for urging the wear plates rearward against the back edge of the side wall and toward the leading edge of the doctor blade 10. These urging means include a spring 28 contained in a cut-out portion 29 which bears against plunger 30 in contact with the wear plate bracket 14. When yarns that have deformities such as slubs and the like are processed between the feed rolls, one of the feed rolls becomes skewed and bears against the wall plate nearest the defective yarn. Because of the design of the wear plate, the roll is permitted to raise upward or downward while still maintaining the proper clearance between the wear plate and the back edge of the side wall.

Referring again to FIGURES 6 and 7, it will be seen that each of the wear plates has a portion 31 which is substantially perpendicular to the face end of the wear plate and a beveled portion 32 adjacent the substantially perpendicular portion. This beveled portion assures that the contact with the rear edge of the side wall will be along the front edge or perpendicular portion of the wear plate. It is this perpendicular portion which contacts the side wall and advantageously clears the leading edge of the doctor blade. It will also be seen by this design that the rolls can be easily shifted and that the wear plates do not cover the doctor blade.

The fluid employed in the apparatus is preferably air. The advantages of employing air pressure is that the pressure can be adjusted to give the longest life on the wear plates.

The apparatus of this invention can be used to crimp and bulk any natural or synthetic plasticizable fiilamentary material. Thermoplastic materials such as polyamides, e.g., poly(epsilon caproamide), poly(hexamethy lene adipamide); cellulose esters; polyesters, e.g., polyethylene terephthalate, poly( hexahydro p xylene teraphthalate), etc.; polyvinyls and polyacrylics, e.g., polyethylene and polyacrylonitrile, as well as copolymers thereof, can be crimped.

This apparatus is also luseful for both mono-filament yarns in textile deniers as well as the heavier carpet and industrial yarn sizes either singly or combined in the form of a heavy tow. Although the apparatus has been described with reference to yarns, it is to be understood that textile fibers capable of being crimped are subject to being processed on the apparatus whether such textile fibers be in the form of a rope, strand, sliver, tow and the like.

In the drawings and specification, there has been set forth a preferred embodiment of the invention and al- -though specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only, and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being defined in the claims.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for crimping textile fibers which comprises a crimping chamber including a base and a pair of side walls; a positively driven complementary pair of teed rolls having end faces, said feed rolls being disposed transversely adjacent one end of said chamber intermediate said side walls, a pair of doctor blades having a leading edge facing away from said crimping chamber one of each doctor blade forming the upper and lower portions of said crimping chamber at a site immediately forward from said feed rolls, a recess in each side Wall defining la back edge in said side wall, each of the leading edges of said doctor blade and each of the back edges of said side wall forming the opening to said stufling chamber, a pair of wear plate brackets positioned in said recesses, each accommodating a wear plate, said wear plates having a rearward edge disposed nearest said crimping chamber, and biasing means for pressure positioning said wear plates against said back edge of said side wall, toward said end faces of said rolls to accommodate said rolls in multi-directional displacement and toward the leading edges of said doctor blade.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said biasing means includes a fluid chamber disposed one on each side of the wear plate furthest lfrom said end face of said feed roll, a uid conduit leading into said uid chamber and means for urging said wear plates against said back edge of said side wall and towards said leading edge of said doctor blade.

3. Apparatus according to claim 2 wherein said means urging said wear plates includes a plunger in contact with a side of said wear plate and a spring urging said plunger against said wear plate bracket.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said wear plate includes a rearward edge defining a portion which is substantially perpendicular to the face end of said wear plate and a beveled portion adjacent said substantially perpendicular portion.

5. Apparatus according to claim 4 wherein said rearward edge of said wear plate clears the doctor blade on movement of said wear plate toward said crimping chamber.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,113,367 12/1963 McGill 28-1 3,160,941 12/1964 Williamson 28-1 3,218,675 11/1965 Hendrix 19-66 3,249,979 S/ 1966 Stephens et al 28-1 25 LOUIS K. RIMRODT, Primary Examiner. 

1. APPARATUS FOR CRIMPING TEXTILE FIBERS WHICH COMPRISES A CRIMPING CHAMBER INCLUDING A BASE AND A PAIR OF SIDE WALLS; A POSITIVELY DRIVEN COMPLEMENTARY PAIR OF FEED ROLLS HAVING END FACES, SAID FEED ROLLS BEING DISPOSED TRANSVERSELY ADJACENT ONE END OF SAID CHAMBER INTERMEDIATE SAID SIDE WALLS, A PAIR OF DOCTOR BLADES HAVING A LEADING EDGE FACING AWAY FROM SAID CRIMPING CHAMBER ONE OF EACH DOCTOR BLADE FORMING THE UPPER AND LOWER PORTIONS OF SAID CRIMPING CHAMBER AT A SITE IMMEDIATELY FORWARD FROM SAID FEED ROLLS, A RECESS IN EACH SIDE WALL DEFINING A BACK EDGE IN SAID SIDE WALL, OF THE LEADING EDGES OF SAID DOCTOR BLADE AND EACH OF THE BACK EDGES OF SAID SIDE WALL FORMING THE OPENINGS TO SAID STUFFING CHAMBER, A PAIR OF WEAR PLATE BRACKETS POSITIONED IN SAID RECESSES, EACH ACCOMMODATING A WEAR PLATE, SAID WEAR PLATES HAVING A REAWARD EDGE DISPOSED NEAREST SAID CRIMPING CHAMBER, AND BIASING MEANS FOR PRESSURE POSITIONING SAID WEAR PLATES AGAINST SAID BACK EDGE OF SAID SIDE WALL, TOWARD SAID END FACES OF SAID ROLLS TO ACCOMMODATE SAID ROLLS IN MULTI-DIRECTIONAL DISPLACEMENT AND TOWARD THE LEADING EDGES OF SAID DOCTOR BLADE. 